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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

STUDENT MANUAL IN PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2
Identifying the Inquiry and Stating the Problem
Prepared by: Christopher I. Cabañog, LPT

Learning Competencies:

The learner:
1. Designs a research useful in daily life
2. Writes a research title
3. Describes background of research
4. States research questions
5. Indicates scope and delimitation of study
6. Cites benefits and beneficiaries of study
7. Presents written statement of problem
8. Defines terms used in the study

 Considerations in Formulating Research Problems

When formulating research problems, consider the following:

A. External Criteria

1. Novelty
2. Availability of subjects
3. Administrative Support
4. Availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment
5. Ethical considerations
B. Internal Criteria
1. Motivation, interest, intellectual curiosity and perceptiveness of the
researcher
2. Experience, training and professional qualifications
3. Costs and returns
4. Hazards, penalties, and handicaps

 Steps in Formulating Research Problems

1. Identify a broad field or subject area of interest to you.

Example: As a student of public health, intending to work with patients who

have HIV/AIDS, you might like to conduct a research on a subject area
relating to HIV/AIDS.

2. Dissect the broad areas into subareas.

 Example: Given the example in step 1, one can focus on the different
subareas of HIV/AIDS such as AIDS education, epidemiological studies on
HIV/AIDS in the different regions in the Philippines, mental health of
HIV/AIDS patients, level of awareness of HIV/AIDS patients prior to infection,
HIV risk behaviors etc.
3. Select what is of most INTEREST to you.
NOTE: Your interest should be the most important determinant for
selection. Afterwards, eliminate topics on your list and consider the
different criteria in selecting your research problem.
4. Raise research questions or identify the ISSUE/CONCERN.

Ask yourself the question, ‘What is it that I want to find out in this subarea?’
NOTE: Do not attempt to solve too many problems in your selected area of
interest. Just choose a single piece of the pie.

5. Formulate Objectives

Specific research questions are obviously written in question form. Objectives

transform these questions into behavioral aims by using action-oriented
words such as ‘to determine’, ‘to ascertain’ and ‘to examine’.

Example:

Objective:
 To determine if there is a significant relationship between
tardiness and academic performance of the Grade 11 STEM
students in Asian College of Technology – International
Educational Foundation
Question form:
 Is there a significant relationship between tardiness and academic
performance of the Grade 11 STEM students in Asian College of
Technology – International Educational Foundation

6. Assess your objectives/research questions

7. Double-check

 Writing the title of your research

1. Choose what type you want to use

 Declarative titles – state the main findings or conclusions (e.g. ‘A three-month weight
loss program increases self-esteem in adolescent girls’)
 Descriptive titles – describe the subject of the article but do not reveal the main
conclusions (e.g. ‘The effects of family support on patients with dementia’).
  Interrogative titles – introduce the subject in the form of a question (e.g. ‘Does
cognitive training improve performance on pattern recognition tasks?’)

NOTE: Declarative titles are generally used in research articles and they convey the largest
amount of information. They are also good if you want to emphasize the technical side of the
research you have carried out. Interrogative titles, on the other hand, are less common and they
are more suitable for literature review articles.

2. Follow the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological

Association (APA, 2009).

Generally, a title should:

1. summarize the main idea of the paper;

2. be a concise statement of the main topic;
3. include the major variable/s
4. show the relationship of the main variables of the study
5. mention participants (in a general manner) and the setting. Thus, instead of
writing “Grade 5 pupils of Dr. Cristobal Elementary, write ‘elementary pupils of selected
elementary schools

3. Avoid titles that are too long.

 The recommended length of a title is no more than 12 words (APA, 2019).

4. Avoid using words that serve no useful purposes and can mislead indexers.
 The words methods, results, investigations, and study appear redundant
when used in the thesis title.
5. You can sometimes use a colon to add additional information to the title, such as the
methodology that was used.
Example:
1. ‘Brain activation during perception of face-like stimuli: A fMRI study’
2. Parents’ Educational Attainment and Academic Performance of STEM
students in ACT-IEF: A Correlational Study
6. Do not use acronyms in the title without spelling them out (Hartley, 2012)
7. Irony, puns, and humor in the title may help you attract more readers but they should
be avoided most of the time (Hartley, 2008).
8. Write a few variants of the research title.

NOTE: You should capitalize all word in your title except prepositions, articles and
conjunctions. Numbers should be spelled out. Scientific names should be italicized.
Examples of Thesis Title:

1. Cytotoxic Effects of the Ethanolic Extracts of Annona Squamosa on the Meristematic

Root Cells of Allium cepa
2. In vitro Anti-Microbial Activity of Cinnamomum cebuense against Drug Resistant
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
3. The Ecological Implications of Urban Domestic Cat Predation on Birds in the City of
Wichita, Kansas
4. Frequency of Tardiness and Level of Support of Parents Among High School Students in
Selected Public Schools
5. Homework, Reading Ability, and Exercises in Accounting: Their Influences on Outcomes
in Bookkeeping
6. The Effects of Diagnosis and Non-compliance Attributions on Therapeutic Alliance
Processes in Adult Acute Psychiatric Settings

 Writing the Background of the Study/Rationale

Step 1. Establish the problem or issue of your research

 Highlight the importance of the problem/issue and/or

 Make general statements about the problem/issue and/or
 Present an overview on current research on the issue or problem

Step 2. Provide an overview of existing thinking about and/or research into your
research problem.

Step 3. Identify a gap, problems or unresolved issues in the existing knowledge/research

that your research can fill or identify a research focus that will be useful:

 “The previous research has mistakenly assumed that….” or “Although most

experts in the field believe …., they have overlooked …”

 “None of the previous research has examined ……”

 “Despite prior observations of voter behavior in local elections in urban Detroit, it

remains unclear why do some single mothers choose to avoid....” and/or

 “Consequently, these factors need to examined in more detail....” or “Evidence

suggests an interesting correlation, therefore, it is desirable to survey different
respondents....”

Step 4. State your research question, your hypothesis and your knowledge claim,
making sure to place your research within the gap in existing knowledge.
  State the intent of your study, including the research question and your
hypothesis,
 Outline the key characteristics of your study,
 Describe important results that you have found or hope to find

Strategies for Positioning Your Knowledge/Claim Thesis

A. Inquisitive Thesis – shows that the subject in question is “important,

curious, or otherwise interesting.”

Example:
“The previous research suggests an interesting correlation between A &
B; therefore, my research will....”

B. Paradoxical Thesis – focuses on the way in which your research will go

against what is commonly believed in the field. This form of introduction
searches for unlikely perspectives on the subject.

Example
“Although most experts in the field believe …., they have overlooked ….
My research will ….”
C. Corrective Thesis – shows that the subject has been neglected,
misunderstood, or misrepresented by others. This approach addresses
the pre-conceptions of readers that the subject is trite or hackneyed.

Example:
“Despite the intense focus on X, few researchers have examined Problem
Y ……My research will …”

Step 5. Stress the value and relevance of your research. Why is your research relevant?
What will it contribute to the field (and beyond)? Why should we care about your
research?

 Writing the General Statement of the Problem

Elements of the SOP:

1. Main tasks
2. Main or major variables
3. Participants
4. Specific setting
5. Coverage date
6. For developmental research, the intended outputs such as an intervention program,
module, policies, among others.
 Sample SOPs:

Coverage date
Main task

1. The main problem of this research is to determine the influence of video

games and utilization of social media on the language proficiency of the

freshman students of Leyte National High School for the first semester of

academic year 2014-2015. The results of this investigation will be the basis of

the formulation of the guidelines in the development, organization, and

implementation of effective study habits.

Main Variables Participants
Setting

Intended outputs

2. This study aims to assess the level of performance of technical-vocational

instructors and relate it to the efficiency level of senior high school management
students undergoing on-the-job training in selected businesses in Palo, Leyte
during the school year 2014-2015.

 Stating the Specific Research Questions/Objectives

1. While your problem formulation serves to describe the aim of your thesis, the
objectives provide an accurate description of the SPECIFIC ACTIONS you will
take in order to reach this aim.
2. Research objectives must be FOCUSED, RELEVANT, and MEASURABLE.

Study the following example below:

 Example #1: This study aims to assess the diversity of mangroves in Calituban Island,
Bohol, Philippines. Specifically, it has the following objectives:
1. To name the mangrove species present in the study area;
2. To determine diversity of mangrove species in the study area using the following
diversity indices:
2.1 Dominance
2.1 Species Richness
2.3 Evenness
2.4 Shannon Weiner;
3. To determine the conservation status of mangrove species based on the IUCN Red
List of 2008.
Example #2
1. What is the level of school effectiveness in terms of:
3.1 teacher’s performance;
3.2 school performance;
a. drop-out rate,
b. completion rate,
c. survival rate,
d. achievement rate, and
e. awards received by students?

 Indicating the Scope and Delimitations

Things to consider:
1. Major Variable/s
2. Sub-variables (components of the major variables)
3. Indicators

NOTE: The scope of the study is determined by the major variables of the study while sub-
variables and their characteristics, attributes, or indicators serves as the delimitation.

Sample Scope and Delimitation (David, 2014)

This study focused mainly on the financial literacy, profile, and work performance
of public elementary school teachers in the First Congressional District of Bataan, School
Year 2012-2013.

Financial literacy level of teachers was limited only to financial knowledge,

attitudes, and behaviors. Teacher’s profile was delimited to gender, age, educational Major
attainment, civil status, and income. The work performance of teachers was analyzed and
Variables
included in this study through the Competency-Based Performance Appraisal System (CB-
PAST). Instructional competence; school, home, community linkages; personal; and
social growth; and professional characteristics were the components and performance
standards of the CB-PAST that were included in the study.
Sub-
The study was limited to seven (7) districts in the province of Bataan namely,
variables
Abucay, Dinalupihan East, Dinalupihan West, Hermosa, Morong, Orani, and Samal. There
are was exclusion of non-complete elementary schools due to problems such as accessibility
of transportation. Teachers teaching in the Pre-elementary schools under the Provincial
School Board and Local School Board and those who were teaching as substitutes and did
not have included in this study because most of these schools did not have the CB-PAST to
rate the performance of their teachers.
  Writing the Significance of the Study

 This section simply highlights the benefits that can be derived from the study
based on the problem statement.
 Determine the specific contribution of your thesis to the body of knowledge,
certain institutions, and individuals.

Study the following examples:

Example #1 Lusid, 2014

This study will focus on the conduct of classroom observation and the common responses of
the elementary school teachers relating to their level of work performance. The results of the
study will be beneficial to the following:

Elementary School teachers. This will give more confidence to elementary school
teachers upon knowing that their principles are conducting the classroom observations not to
make their lives difficult but to help them become more competent and efficient. This will also
encourage them to properly motivate their students to improve learning and level up the
achievement of the study and the school as well. These teachers become infused with a new
sense of pride in their own professional competence, they will perform effectively and
efficiently and are able to win the respect and trust of parents and the local community as
their performance is large reflective of the performances of their pupils as well as the entire
school. Lastly, they will be more cooperative and better prepared as they are more exposed
to classroom observations which are not regarded as a burden but a beneficial undertaking.

School Heads. As custodians of change and managers of innovations the school

principals will have clarity as to the management functions that need to be prioritized
considering the increasing complexity and variety of their tasks. This will enable them to
assess their management skills as they continuous develop their abilities in the different
facets of training their teachers. In the process, they will be able to reflect of their teacher’s
performance and the school as a whole.

Pupils. Because of the inspiration…

Division of Bataan. This will surely help the division…

Example #2: “Development of a Source Material in Food Dehydration Craft Technology for the
Secondary Schools” by Mary Rose Florence S. Cobar.

The study of dehydration technology and fabrication can be a learning paradigm in

the secondary level and vocational schools to enhance the students’ knowledge and
entrepreneurial skills as well. The project’s goal is designed to help students improve
academic competence, develop employability skills, implement a career plan and participate
in a career pathway in preparation for post-secondary education or careers in the food
  Writing the Operational Definition of Terms

1. This section is NOT A GLOSSARY.

2. Only define important words or KEY WORDS found in the statement of the problem
as well as those that will likely recur in your paper.
3. Key words must be defined in the context of your study. In other words, terms must be
defined as to how they are used in the study.

Sample Operational Definition of Terms:

Operational Definition of Terms

1. Effectiveness – In the present study, the score on environment awareness test is

defined as effectiveness.
2. Media – In the present study, computer was taken as media to convey (teaching), for
Power Point Presentation and audio video cassettes program.
3. Teaching – In present study lecture, Power Point Presentation and audio video
cassettes on selected content is a method of teaching.
4. Environment – In this study, content from syllabus of environment education in
different university.
5. Undergraduate – In the present study, students applied for bachelor degree in BSc.
Home Science and B.A. were considered as undergraduate.
6. Student - In the present study, one who attends First, Second or Third Year class of
BSc. (Home Science) / B.A. Degree course were considered as students.

Research Title: “A study of effectiveness of media in teaching of environment education for undergraduate
home science students.”